1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to forming gaskets in situ between mating components. More particularly, the present invention relates to forming gaskets or seals between mating components using liquid injection sealing.
2. Disclosure Information
It is well known in the automotive and machinery industries to use a preformed gasket between two mating components to prevent fluid from leaking from the assembly. Typically, the gasket is placed in a predefined location and the mating components are secured together. The gasket forms a compression seal between the components. It is also well known in the automotive and machinery industries to seal some assemblies with room temperature vulcanizer""s (RTV) or anaerobic materials. RTV and anaerobic materials seal by adhering to the component parts.
It is also well known in the industry that if the gasket is misplaced or is not oriented correctly, or contains a tear, the gasket does not prevent leakage of fluid. One method of overcoming these potential situations is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,558. The ""558 patent teaches that a gasket or seal may be formed in situ, that is, after the mating components have been assembled. The ""558 patent teaches that one of the mating components includes a groove where the gasket or seal is to be formed. The mating components are assembled and a gasket-forming material is injected into the groove, where it polyermises to form the seal. The ""558 patent specifically teaches the chemical compositions of various materials which can be used as such a seal.
However, the ""558 patent does not address the problem of identifying whether the gasket or seal has been correctly formed between the mating components. The only way to know whether the seal is functional in the ""558 patent is to either test the assembly, a long and tedious process, or to disassemble the assembly and look at the seal, thus destroying the seal between the components. It would be advantageous to provide some means for identifying whether the seal formed in situ is functional without destroying the seal or testing the assembly.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a gasket or seal between mating components which is much less sensitive to manufacturing variability than current seals.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a gasket or seal between mating components which identifies whether a functional seal has been formed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a gasket or seal between mating components that is much easier to replace during xe2x80x9cin-fieldxe2x80x9d repairs than current adhesive seals.
The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art by providing a method for forming a seal between two mating components having a fluid contained therebetween, each of the components having a mating face, the method comprising the steps of forming a groove in at least one of the mating faces of one of the mating components and forming an inlet port in fluid communication with the groove. The components are mated together in a face-to-face relationship so as to define a flange area adjacent the groove and a liquid gasket-forming material is provided. The method further includes the steps of forming an initial seal between the mating components in the flange area by injecting a predetermined volume of liquid gasket-forming material at a predetermined pressure into the groove and measuring the injection pressure of the liquid gasket-forming material as the material is being injected into the groove. The method also includes the steps of stopping the injection of the liquid gasket-forming material when the injection pressure reaches a predetermined value, and forming a primary seal between the mating components by curing the liquid gasket-material in the groove to form the seal between the mating components.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a seal may be formed between two components in an automated process at significantly reduced cost than other known processes.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that a viable seal is formed between two components which functions by a combination of perfect fit, flash formation, minimal shrinkage of the sealant material, and seal material swelling and expansion caused by absorption of the fluid being sealed.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a viable seal is formed over a wide range of surface finishes of the two components.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings, detailed description and claims that follow.